With Meowth helping out, communicating with the wild Pokémon became much easier. Even the more hostile Totem Pokémon were willing to talk once they found themselves surrounded by Darkrai, Azumarill, Gardevoir, and Mismagius.
Picking a fight under those circumstances clearly wasn't the smartest option.
The first Totem Pokémon Luther encountered was a Vespiquen. She had bee-like wings, while her lower body resembled a massive, skirt-shaped honeycomb. She was almost as tall as Luther, far larger than the average Vespiquen.
If Lance wanted to build his cliffside villa, there was no avoiding her, as Vespiquen controlled a large portion of the surrounding territory. Her hostility was understandable; she and her colony had already sensed autumn approaching.
Although the island was located in southern Sinnoh and enjoyed a relatively warm climate, meaning there was still some time before temperatures truly dropped, Vespiquen was already urging her Combee to gather as much honey as possible and stockpile food for the winter.
At such a busy time, Luther suddenly showed up in the middle of the Combee's gathering grounds with a group of Pokémon. Their work had come to a halt because of his arrival, so naturally, Vespiquen had to step forward as their leader.
After hearing Luther out, however, Vespiquen fell into thought. His offer was actually quite reasonable. Once the villa was built at the edge of the forest, only a few supporting facilities, such as power lines, might take up a small portion of the Combee's territory.
They would still be free to move around everywhere else. Vespiquen had no use for the huge stretch of open land outside the forest anyway, so that part didn't matter to her.
And when Luther casually sweetened the deal with two large bags of Pokémon food favored by Bug types, along with some Pokéblocks prepared especially for Vespiquen, she quickly accepted his proposal.
Mai had come along with Luther today as well, mainly to familiarize herself with the areas where the island's initial construction would take place. After all, Luther would be away from the island for quite some time.
During his absence, Mai would be responsible for communicating and coordinating with the wild Pokémon.
Vespiquen led Luther and Mai on a tour of the territory under her control. Combee zipped back and forth everywhere they went; most were so busy that they didn't even have time to greet Vespiquen, each one carrying a pleasant floral fragrance as it flew past.
According to Vespiquen, there weren't any particularly powerful Pokémon groups living in the large forest ahead, so for now, the Combee could safely gather nectar around its outskirts.
Berries were also an important ingredient for adding flavor to their honey, so they occasionally gathered those as well. They deliberately took only a small amount, leaving enough food for the other Pokémon living there. In return, those Pokémon generally left the Combee alone.
Once autumn fully arrived, however, conflicts would inevitably become more frequent as everyone began stockpiling food for winter. There simply weren't enough Berries in the surrounding area to satisfy every Pokémon.
As they followed Vespiquen deeper into her territory, Luther suddenly found himself stepping into an almost magical place. The air was filled with a rich, sweet fragrance. Azumarill was practically drooling just from the smell, while even Darkrai looked unusually surprised.
Before them stretched a wide clearing covered in a sea of blooming flowers. It was hard to imagine such a colorful vista hidden within the dense green forest. Flowers of every shade surrounded several towering trees, blooming in brilliant clusters.
More than a dozen Combee darted among flowers that Mai couldn't even name. Covered in sweet fragrance, they flew toward several hollowed-out openings in the nearby trees.
A few Combee hurried out of the tree hollows, paused just long enough to greet Luther and Mai, and immediately flew off again to continue working.
Vespiquen gave an order to the remaining Combee inside one of the hollows. A moment later, several of them emerged carrying a strange object that looked almost like a beehive.
Through the nearly transparent membrane covering the honeycomb, Luther could clearly see the honey inside, it was so thick that it was already beginning to crystallize.
When Vespiquen picked up a honeycomb nearly half the size of Azumarill, Luther couldn't help worrying that the honey might leak out. Surprisingly, not a single drop escaped; the natural container was far sturdier than he'd expected.
Vespiquen held the honeycomb out toward Luther.
"She says she hopes you'll accept this," Meowth translated.
Luther was just about to wave it off when Azumarill beat him to it, happily taking the honeycomb with a huge smile. Mai immediately pressed a hand down on Azumarill's head, though she didn't dare use much force, the last thing she wanted was for Azumarill to drop all that honey.
"Vespiquen also says she's willing to keep giving you honey in the future," Meowth continued translating. "All she asks is that you speak with whoever owns the house and allow the Combee to continue gathering nectar around it. They've lived here for generations, and honey is the only thing she has to offer you. She hopes you won't look down on the gift or think she's asking for too much."
Luther finally understood what Vespiquen was worried about. She couldn't win a fight against him; judging by the strength of the Pokémon around Luther, even if Vespiquen fought with everything she had, there was no chance of victory.
And if she were badly injured in the battle, what would happen to the Combee without her protection?
In truth, this was partly a misunderstanding. Luther had promised not to casually intrude on Vespiquen's territory, but Vespiquen was far more cautious about territorial boundaries than he'd realized.
From her perspective, once the villa was built, she would have no choice but to give up a large section of forest along the edge of her territory, something she desperately wanted to avoid.
An area's ecosystem could usually support only a certain number of Pokémon. Unless something from outside changed the balance, there was little anyone could do about that limit. Every Combee under her protection was like a child to her, and she couldn't bear the thought of letting them go hungry.
Once Luther and Mai realized this, they were both touched by how far Vespiquen was willing to go for her colony.
Unfortunately, Vespiquen misunderstood their silence. Thinking her gift hadn't been enough to satisfy them, she called out to the Combee again. Before Luther could react, they carried out another two enormous honeycombs, both filled with thick nectar that was already close to crystallizing.
A distinctly human-like plea appeared in Vespiquen's crimson eyes.
Luther hurried forward to stop her.
"The person who's going to live here might settle down permanently, or he might only stay for a while before leaving. But I can promise you this: he isn't some strange Trainer who'll recklessly destroy the environment you depend on. You'll still be free to use the surrounding forest. He won't drive you away, and he definitely won't hurt the Combee."
With another promise from Luther, Vespiquen finally smiled in relief.
Luther tried to return the honey-filled combs, but Vespiquen absolutely refused to take them back. And so, one human and one Pokémon ended up locked in a stubborn standoff over the gifts.
The whole thing felt exactly like New Year's, when an older relative tried to give you a red envelope, you genuinely tried to refuse it, but they were determined to shove it into your hands no matter what...
Luther realized Vespiquen wouldn't feel at ease unless he accepted the honey. Left with no other choice, he sent Altaria back to their base to fetch three large bags of Pokémon food so he could at least trade something for it.
When Altaria returned, Luther and Mai climbed onto her with the honey. Then, while Vespiquen wasn't paying attention, they tossed the three bags of Pokémon food onto the ground and immediately made their escape.
Luther never imagined he'd experience the familiar feeling of New Year's in a place like this...
Looking at the three enormous honeycombs carefully packed into transparent bags, Luther felt an unexpected weight in his heart. For the first time, a thought naturally took root in his mind: he wanted to do something for the Pokémon living on this island.
(End of Chapter)
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